Almost every year, we see the release of Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed games because publishers usually like to rely on established franchises. Ubisoft is no different, although it's a breath of fresh air when an AAA developer/publisher finally decides to bank on an all-new IP.
Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising is a surprising new IP developed by the same studio that brought us Assassin's Creed Odyssey back in 2018. The game was initially called Gods and Monsters, but the title changed due to copyright reasons.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is an open-world action-adventure game that features some similarities to games like Breath of the Wild and Assassin's Creed. The visual style of the game is also heavily influenced by Breath of the Wild.
Even though I only played Immortals Fenyx Rising on a PS4 Pro, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the game looks bright and colourful. It's not a fully 2D style game like the free-to-play Genshin Impact, but it has a special colour palette that makes this game look like a modern-day cartoon.
I also liked the fact that the open world in this game is not too overwhelmingly large. Sure the game still has a vast environment, but the islands aren't separated too much with open water. I remember not liking Assassin's Creed Odyssey's map as it was too large, therefore making the objectives too far apart.
Thankfully in this game, the main character named Fenyx has access to a set of angel wings that lets them glide to faraway places. You cannot fly for an infinite amount of time, but travelling to different areas didn't feel too tedious compared to other open-world video games.
If you are travelling on land, you can also use mounts. Some mounts in the game include normal horses to even the legendary Pegasus. That said, travelling is still time-consuming as a whole mainly because objectives are placed many metres away.
As for the game's story, you play as a normal human named Fenyx. An evil demon by the name of Tython has turned everyone to stone and wants to unleash his underworld minions on the world. Fenyx has to use the power of the Gods to restore the world to its former glory and get rid of Tython's presence.
In terms of gameplay, Immortals Fenyx Rising has an enjoyable and snappy combat system. You can press R1 to do quick attacks, or press R2 for heavier attacks. Your character can alternate between a sword or hammer to deal damage to enemies.
Fenyx can also parry enemy attacks and dodge using the Square button. If you dodge attacks at the right moment, time slows down, giving you more chances to kill enemies. Parrying also gives you opportunities to get more hits on bad guys too.
You can also use a bow and arrow to attack enemies from afar. The arrows are unlimited so you can kill birds and flying enemies as much as you like. You just have to wait a few seconds for your ammo to replenish.
Lastly, Fenyx also has the ability to stealth attack enemies from behind. All you have to do is crouch behind them and press Triangle to get rid of your opponents. Stealth attacks also work on mini-bosses which I think is really neat.
I actually liked the combat in Immortals Fenyx Rising more than I did playing Assassin's Creed Vahalla. The combat feels faster and more responsive in this game, plus you don't have to grind too much to level up.
Aside from combat, another important part of Immortals Fenyx Rising is puzzle solving. There are a ton of puzzles for you to solve in this game, and some are harder than others. You also have to enter many vaults to do even more puzzle solving.
The puzzles can be a bit challenging, so I advise players to look at a guide if you get stuck. The puzzles remind me of a Legend of Zelda game as you really need to test your problem solving and logic skills to get through all of the challenges.
Another huge aspect of this game is the stamina system. You will use up stamina a lot if you are climbing and/or flying. You will need special blue potions or mushrooms to replenish your stamina because the last thing you want to do is fall off a very high cliff!
Immortals Fenyx Rising's main story lasts for well over 23 hours long, and you can also prolong your fun if you want to do all of the side quests too. I think over 20 hours is pretty decent for a game of this size as it's not too short or not too long.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a very fun action game from Ubisoft. It's refreshing to see Ubisoft investing time and effort to a new IP. I actually liked this game more than I did playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It's worth playing if you love action-adventure games.
Verdict: 8.5/10